- They start at £250

We’re constantly upgrading our TVs to get the latest and greatest in available picture quality. But what about sound ? Part of what makes going to a theatre so great is the immersive sound. When a plane soars across the screen, you can almost feel the rumble of the jet engine through your body. Sony now wants to help bring that cinema quality-surround sound to living rooms.

It's introducing the Sony HT-X8500 and Sony HT-S350 soundbars. Here’s a breakdown of what they can do.

HT-X8500

This is Sony’s highest-end soundbar. It has a perforated metal body and brings Dolby Atmos and DTS:X support. It uses object-based cinema sound to make it feel like you’re right in the middle of a battle you're watching in an action movie. And it features eARC support to allow premium audio to stream from your TV to the soundbar. It also has Bluetooth capabilities, so it can connect to your phone.

The HT-X8500 offers 2.1 audio in a single soundbar setup, but with Sony’s Digital Signal Processing technology and Vertical Surround Engine, that can be kicked up to 7.1.2 surround sound without adding any extra speakers.

It even has a built-in dual subwoofer.

Sony

HT-S350

Sony’s HT-S350 features a 5.1 sound and offers extremely powerful bass through its 320W wireless subwoofer. It uses S-Force PRO Front Surround technology to deliver an at-home surround sound experience. It also features both Bluetooth and the HDMI ARC options for connecting to your existing television and devices. The HT-S350 has a perforated metal body, too, which is similar to the HT-X8500.

Pricing and availability

The HT-X8500 will be available a little sooner, with an expected release date coming near the end of March and a starting price point of £350. The HT-S350 will be available at the beginning of May with a price of £250.